Head of USDA Organic Program Stepping Down

The leader of the Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program will step down at the end of the month. Miles McEvoy will vacate the position overseeing the program and return to his home state of Washington. McEvoy led the program that oversees organic regulations and the USDA organic seal for eight years.

McEvoy told Fern’s Ag Insider that his original plan was to run the program for five years. After eight years at USDA, he says the program is now stronger, offering better quality inspectors, certifiers and work. He says the Trump administration and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue favor “increased enforcement and authority” for the program, and do not have any desire to weaken the program. McEvoy says he has no plans yet for what he may do next, but says he is not retiring, rather “just stepping down from the government service.”